History

Airport history

1976

1999

Airport has offered its capacities to airlines Swissair, Aero Lloyd and LTU, Deutsche BA and Lauda Air and others for flight training and pilot education.

In early 90´s annual traffic was 85,000 passenger year and approximately 700 tons of cargo per arrived.

2000

Renovation of the apron.

2002

Aerodrome Maribor d.o.o. was bought by Prevent Global d.d. from Slovenj Gradec, as a majority owner.

2002/2004

Aerodrome Maribor d.o.o. renewed all the infrastructure in its property.

2004/05

The instrument landing system ILS CAT I and the distribution transformer station were renovated.

2003/06

Safety fence around the Airport Maribor was renovated.

2007

2008/02

On 22nd of February, Government of the Republic of Slovenia accepted decision on renaming the Airport of Maribor in Airport of Edvard Rusjan Maribor. Renaming was made as a suggestion of citizen Silvo Škornik. New name was in use on 15th of June 2008.

2012/11

Part B of new passenger terminal was opened.

2013

Recovery of passenger traffic with summer charters to Greek islands Zakintos and Kos and to Antalya Turkey.

2014

2015

2016

Summer charters to Crete.

2017

Summer destinations Dubrovnik and Split.

2018

Regular line to Munich and Antwerp.

Edvard Rusjan

Edvard Rusjan was born in Trieste then the major port of Austria-Hungary (now in Italy). His parents were both natives from the Gorizia and Gradisca region: his father, Franc Rusjan, was a Slovene, and his mother, Grazia Cabas, was Friulan. Rusjan spent his childhood and adolescence in Gorizia, in the suburb of Rafut.

In his youth, he became a professional bicyclist, and designed his own bicycle models, together with his brother Josip Rusjan. He was also member of the Sokol gymnastic association.

He made his first flight on 25 November 1909, near Gorizia, in Eda I, a biplane of his own design. The height of the flight was 2 m (6 ft 7 in), whereas the distance was 60 m (200 ft). On 29 November 1909, he flew at the altitude of 12 m (39 ft) and 600 m (2,000 ft) far. The original design was followed by several improved versions. He moved to a hangar near Miren south of Gorizia.

Rusjan first attended a public flight event with the model EDA V on 6 December 1909, when his aircraft broke apart at landing. In June 1910, he tried the model EDA V, which enabled him to fly 40 meters above the ground and overfly the whole Miren Field.

The brothers Rusjan ran out of finance for the construction of EDA VII. In 1910, Edvard Rusjan met the Croatian businessman Mihajlo Merćep, who offered him financial help for his endeavors. The same year, the brothers Rusjan moved to Zagreb, Croatia, when they started a project of airplane construction on larger scale. In November 1910, they constructed a new model.

In January 1911, Edvard and Josip Rusjan went on a promotional tour through the Balkan cities. On 9 January 1911, during a flight in Belgrade, Serbia, a strong wind broke a wing of Edvard's aeroplane and it dived into a railway embankment near the Belgrade Fortress in a fatal crash. His funeral was attended by a large crowd of about 14,000 people.